Skin splitting machine

ABSTRACT

A skin splitting machine having a knife, and a conveyor for carrying the skin to the knife and means for pressing the skin to the conveyor. The pressing means comprises a series of axially aligned resilient discs and a non-resilient roller interposed between each disc and the conveyor. Each disc and roller cooperating independently to press the skin to the conveyor.

United States Patent 1 1 Repetto 51 June 5, 1973 154] SKIN SPLITTINGMACHINE [75] Inventor: Silvio Repetto, Modena, Italy [73] Assignee:S.p.A. Luigi Rizzi 8: Co., Modena,

Italy 22 Filed: Apr. 12, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 133,034

[ 30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 14, 1970 Italy ..2328l A/7O[52] US. Cl ..69/13, 29/125 [51] Int. Cl. ..Cl4b 1/14 [58] Field ofSearch ..69/10; 29/125 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS596,440 12/1897 Barton ..69/10 615,646 12/1898 Whipple ..69/10 1,010,75212/1911 Haines ..69/10 1,183,758 5/1916 OBrien ........69/10 1,382,7556/1921 Baxter: ..69/10 1,594,875 8/1926 Brenner... 29/125 X 2,446,2118/1948 Clark ..29/125 X 2,524,013 9/1950 Hall ..69/10 PrimaryExaminer-Alfred R. Guest Att0rneyKurt Kelman [57] ABSTRACT 8 Claims, 3Drawing Figures Ill.

PATENTEDJ N W 3.736 776 SHEET 10F 2 INVENTOR s LV/o REPeT Xwi K PAT 5SHEET 2 0F 2 3 ww uumwwwwwwfi INVENTOR vlo kw WWW SKIN SPLITTING MACHINEThe present invention concerns a skin splitting machine having aresilient-faced roller comprising an assembly of separate adjacentco-axial discs, each corresponding to a ring of a skin squeezing rollerand in pressure contact therewith.

In skin splitting machines, one of the principal problems is thenecessity of obtaining an absolutely uniform surface of the skin on thehair side of the hide, even if the inside of flesh side of the skin hassubstantial irregularities such as protuberances, pieces of flesh, fator the like.

In conventional splitting machines attempts have been made to solve theproblem by supporting the flesh or inside of the skin against a conveyor roller by a loose or idler roller formed of a plurality of rings ofrigid material, each free to displace itself radially relative to theaxis of the roller, to a degree corresponding to the surfaceirregularity of the flesh side of the skin.

In such conventional machines, the rings of the loose roller aresupported against a rubber-covered counter roller which provides acertain elastic pressure on the rings pressing the skin against theconveyor roller. Other known types of skin splitting machines have,instead of the loose roller, a series of detached and aligned rollers,each mounted on a displaceable fork urged by a spring or similar thrustmeans towards the conveyor roller.

Both systems have appreciable disadvantages. In the first case, therubber covered counter-roller, in contact with each ring, exerts heavypressure where the thickness of the skin is locally greater, whilst inthe adjacent area where the skin may be thinner, it exerts a much lowerpressure. In such cases, adjacent rubber portions feel the effect ofdeformation produced by the pressure of a roller ring corresponding withthe locally greater thickness of the skin and the skin is not held witha uniform pressure against the convey or roller. This produces anon-uniform thickness in the split skin. In the second system, thealigned and adjacent spring loaded rollers cannot be in close contactwith each other on account of the space taken up by the roller supportsand the elastic thrust means; therefore the pressure of said rollersagainst the skin is not continuous, with spaces between adjacent rollersnot under any pressure at all and so strips of cut skin of irregularthickness are produced.

The machine of the present invention eliminates these disadvantages.

According to the present invention, a skin splitting machine having aknife, and convey or similar means for carrying the skin to the knife,is provided with means for pressing the skin uniformly against theconveyor. The means comprise a series of axially aligned discs, eachhaving a resilient peripheral surface, and a roller disposed betweeneach disc and the skin surface. The discs and roller act independentlyto apply pressure to the skin.

The rubber covered roller may be formed as a row of discs of hardmaterial having a peripheral thickness or covering of rubber. Each dischas an axial width equal to or less than that of each ring of the looseroller for the whole thickness of the rubber. Preferably, the rubbercovered roller according to the invention is composed of a single pieceshaft having a cylindrical covering or rubber, said covering beinggrooved to form discs separated by restricted recesses extending towardsthe shaft of the roller, the spacing of the discs being that of therings of the loose roller. The rubber covered roller of the presentinvention makes it possible to exert the necessary pressure by way ofthe rings of the loose rolier against the flesh side of the skin to becut, each disc being pressed upon by its own corresponding ring inproportion to the thickness which the ring finds on the flesh side ofthe skin. The adjacent rings are not influenced by the deformationcaused by the ring concerned, and the pressure of the skin against theconveyor roller will be substantially constant with consequentuniformity of cutting thickness.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the machine according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is an end view of the rollers, to an enlarged scale, and

FIG. 3 is a section on the line IIIIII of FIG. 2.

'FIG. 1 shows a conveyor roller 1 and a cutting blade 2 of a splittingmachine, viewed from the front, at the cutting area.

A skin 3 to be split is pressed against the conveyor roller 1 by aloosely mounted squeeze roller 4, whilst the cutting blade 2 isdisposed, relatively to the first, at the desired distance for obtaininga certain thickness 3a of the skin on the hair side. The loose roller 4is formed by a series of rings 4a, 4b, 4c 4n, each formed of steeladjacent to each other having an enlarged bore 8 and mounted on a shaft10 so as to be individually free to move in a radial direction in amanner to be described later. A rubber covered roller is composed of acontinuous central shaft 5 on which there is a formed a row of discs ofresilient material 6a, 6b, 6c 6n, corresponding respectively, to therings 4a, 4b, 4c 4n, each such disc being of a width equal to or lessthan the corresponding ring and being spaced from the adjacent ring byan annular recess 7a, 7b, 7c 7n -1.

The rubber covered roller may consist of a single shaft 5 on which thereis secured a continuous resilient cylinder provided with the recesses7a, 7b, 7c 7n 1 so as to form the resilient discs, or it may be formedas a series of independent rubber covered discs with a suitable core,each mounted on a single shaft and uniformly spaced from each other toprovide the recesses 7a, 7b, 7c 7n -l. Thus, in the first embodimentnoted, the .roller shaft 5 may have secured thereon a resilientcylindrical body having a plurality of axially aligned transversegrooves to form the discs.

As may be seen from the figure, each variation in thickness of the skin3 on the flesh side 3b, (deliberately magnified for greater clarity),separately presses the rings 4e, 4f, 43 In the areas of greaterthickness, the ring as moved away from their normal positions into thecorresponding rubber covered discs 6e, 6f, 6g each of which is in turndeformed by an amount determined by the corresponding variation in thethickness of the skin, without any of the rings or discs being able toinfluence their next adjacent discs. Due to the presence of the recesses7d, 7e, 7f. interposed between each disc is displaced radiallyindependently of the other. It follows that each rubber covered disc isdeformed only by its own ring and reacts in proportion, without beinginfluenced by the deformation of the adjacent discs, thus producing inthe skin a substantially uniform pressure against the conveyor rollerand hence a uniform thickness of cut from the hair of the split skin.

From FIGS. 2 and 3 it will be seen that the loose roller 4 is formed ofa series of cup-shaped rings 4a, 4b, 4c having cylindrical outer faces.The rings are mounted on a shaft the diameter of which is much smallerthan the diameter of the axial holes 8 in each of the rings. Thispermits the rings to be radially displaced towards or away from the skinallowing them to compress the rubber discs 6a, 6b, 6c to a degreecorresponding to the varying thickness of the skin. The rings may alsorevolve about the shaft 10.

Fixed guides 11 and 12 with parallel vertical surfaces restricthorizontal movement of the rings 4. The rings are held adjacent oneanother by means of lock nuts 13 on the end of the shaft 10.

The shaft 10 is provided with a terminal head 14 which rests against anadjustable stop 15, whereby the rings 4 may be correctly aligned axiallywith respect to the discs 6.

It is obvious that many variations may be applied to the above describeddevice, in particular with regard to the adaptation of the rubbercovered roller to the type of splitting machine, to its capacities anddimensions. Again it is possible for each rubber covered disc to be incontact with more than one displaceable ring without thereby departingfrom the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A skin splitting machine which comprises in combination, a knife, aconveyor for carrying a skin to said knife, and means for pressing saidskin against said conveyor, said means consisting of a roller comprisinga plurality of axially aligned discs each disposed on an axle and havinga resilient peripheral surface spaced from said conveyor, and a secondroller comprising a &

plurality of cup-shaped roller elements mounted along an axle with eachcup-shaped roller element disposed between each disc and the skin beingsplit, said cupshaped roller elements disposed normally free of axialcontact with free movement in both a vertical direction and a tiltdirection relative its axial direction, said cupshaped roller elementsdisposed for maintaining a uniform resilient pressure on the underportion of the skin being split.

2. The machine, according to claim 1, wherein said discs have theircenters aligned along a common axis.

3. The machine, according to claim 1, wherein said roller elements areseparate and independent of each other and have. an axial width equal tothe axial width of the associated disc.

4. The machine, according to claim 1, wherein said discs are formed froman integral body of resilient material separated by uniform axial spacedannular recesses therein.

5. The machine, according to claim 1, wherein said discs each comprise aresilient ring secured about a central shaft and uniformly spaced onefrom the other.

6. The machine according to claim 1, wherein each of said rollerelements comprising a non-resilient ring, mounted on a fixed shaft, saidrings having a central opening the diameter of which is greater than thediameter of said shaft whereby said non-resilient rings may be caused tomove radially of said shaft.

7. The machine according to claim I, wherein the resilient peripheralsurface is made of rubber.

8. The machine, according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of axiallyaligned discs are disposed as a resilient cylindrical body secured overa central shaft, said discs formed by a plurality of axially alignedtransverse grooves.

1. A skin splitting machine which comprises in combination, a knife, aconveyor for carrying a skin to said knife, and means for pressing saidskin against said conveyor, said means consisting of a roller comprisinga plurality of axially aligned discs each disposed on an axle and havinga resilient peripheral surface spaced from said conveyor, and a secondroller comprising a plurality of cup-shaped roller elements mountedalong an axle with each cup-shaped roller element disposed between eachdisc and the skin being split, said cup-shaped roller elements disposednormally free of axial contact with free movement in both a verticaldirection and a tilt direction relative its axial direction, saidcup-shaped roller elements disposed for maintaining a uniform resilientpressure on the under portion of the skin being split.
 2. The machine,according to claim 1, wherein said discs have their centers alignedalong a common axis.
 3. The machine, according to claim 1, wherein saidroller elements are separate and independent of each other and have anaxial width equal to the axial width of the associated disc.
 4. Themachine, according to claim 1, wherein said discs are formed from anintegral body of resilient material separated by uniform axial spacedannular recesses therein.
 5. The machine, according to claim 1, whereinsaid discs each comprise a resilient ring secured about a central shaftand uniformly spaced one from the other.
 6. The machine according toclaim 1, wherein each of said roller elements comprising a non-resilientring, mounted on a fixed shaft, said rings having a central opening thediameter of which is greater than the diameter of said shaft wherebysaid non-resilient rings may be caused to move radially of said shaft.7. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the resilient peripheralsurface is made of rubber.
 8. The machine, according to claim 1, whereinthe plurality of axially aligned discs are disposed as a resilientcylindrical body secured over a central shaft, said discs formed by aplurality of axially aligned transverse grooves.